8:25 PM ET, October 3, 2013
FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, OH
77°FHigh
Few Showers
- Chance of rain: 30%
- Wind: SSE at 8 mph
- Humidity: 74%
- Match up to Watch:
- E.J. Manuel and Robert Woods vs. Joe Haden:
- Cleveland Browns might have the most quietest shutdown corner in the NFL. What i mean by quiet, no one talks about him but he locks down receivers. Last week, Haden kept A.J. Green 7 catches for 51 yards and 0 touchdowns. Manuel and Woods seems to develop a chemistry. Robert Woods would have 2 touchdowns last week if he could have gotten that 2nd foot down. If they can keep finding each other than it will be hard for the Browns to win 3 in a row.
- Players to Watch:
- Buffalo:
- Quarterback- E.J. Manuel
- Wide Receiver- Robert Woods
- Linebacker- Kiko Alonso
- Cleveland:
- Outside Linebacker- Barkevious Mingo
- #3 E.J. Manuel: 6’5 237, Florida State
1st round 16th pick, Position- Quarterback
Strength:
+ Knows when to stay in the pocket or run out. Nice pocket awareness.
+ Does not take unnecessary hits. Knows when to slide.
+ Has great touch on the ball and can put it over the defense.
+ Nice job with the play action fake. Deceives the defense.
+ Knows how to manage the 2 minute offense and get his team down the field.
Needs Improvement:
– Crosses his feet when drops back to pass.
– Goes to the check down too quick. Reads one route then dumps it off.
– Very loose with the football. Holds it away from his body.
– Kind of puts too much zip on short passes. Doesn’t give his receivers a chance to catch the ball.
#10 Robert Woods: 6’0 201, USC
2nd round 41st pick, Position- Wide Receiver
Strength:
+ Biggest strength is in his crossing or shallow routes.
+ Playmaking skills are really good. He can do a lot in the open field.
+ Not afraid to go over the middle and take a hit.
+ Good situational awareness and knows when to get out of bounds in 2 min drill.`
+ Has been the favorite target for his quarterback because he has been so reliable.
+ Blows the top of the defense.
Needs Improvement:
– Has some work to do on the fundamentals on punt returns.
– Not the best at securing the football. Too many fumbles.
– Lose his cools and will get into fights on the field.
– Blocking skills are very weak and can not help the run game.
#50 Kiko Alonso: 6’3 238, Oregon
2nd round 46th pick, Position- Linebacker
Strength:
+ A Troy Polamalu at the linebacker position.
+ He is lighting off the snap and gets into the backfield.
+ A playmaker on defense. Creates turnovers, fumbles, interceptions and sacks.
+ Gets physical with the tight end at the line of scrimmage.
+ Takes on blocks really well and able to stop the run game.
+ Useful in blitz package and gets pressure on QB.
+ Can cover the running back or tight end. He shut down Ray Rice in week 4
Needs Improvement:
– Can’t turn his back to the quarterback when he is in coverage.
– Bites way too hard on the play action and gets himself out of position.
– Got to put himself in better position to tackle.
– Head will get down and will miss a lot of tackles.
– Covers too much grass when he is in zone coverage
– Needs to use his hands to get off blocks.
#51 Barkevious Mingo: 6’4 241, LSU
1st round 6th pick, Position- Defensive End
Strength:
+ More effective as a stand up lineman then in a 3 point stance.
+ For a guy his size, he made a lot of plays on special team.
+ Uses his hands really well when he is creating a pass rush.
+ Keeps outside leverage against the run.
Needs Improvement:
– Football awareness is lacking. Can’t seem to read screen or draw. Teams take advantage of his over aggressiveness.
– Needs to attack a block at the point of attack.
– His motor will be hot and cold from time to time.
– Will get too high and can’t create any leverage.
– Has long arms. Use what god gave you and get them in the passing lane.
– Got to take on the double team better. Gets pushed back into the 2nd level.
Hard Count 